Brown Beetles
by CarrotMuffinSandwiches
Summary: It started as a strange, unlikely friendship, and evolved slowly from there. If only the world was not so cruel... A ShinoIno story, rated T for mentions of sex. Oneshot.


Oh-em-gee, I haven't posted on here for so. LONG! I am aware that I haven't posted the last chapter of my other story (The Pitiful Life of Yamanaka Ino), and I feel terribly bad about it! Ahh, I've just been so busy with school! Well, I got this idea this afternoon, and just had to write about it! It's ShinoIno, and is rated T for mentions and small bits of mature content (the SMEX!).

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto! You all should know that…

**Brown Beetles**

by CarrotMuffinSandwiches

It had started off as an odd sort of friendship; as two people somewhat getting along. Nothing came of it for a while, but it was peaceful and gave both people a break from their regular friends. It had all started on a windy, rainy autumn day, as a quiet boy sat alone in the Sakura tree park Konoha was famous for. A line of brown beetles seemingly marched at his feet, passing in an orderly fashion. Calmly, the boy watched, his eyes boring through sunglasses with circular lenses.

Suddenly, a girl he recognized as Team 10's Yamanaka Ino walked past him, a large burgundy purse slung over her shoulder. Her straight, platinum hair was held back in a high ponytail, and she was wearing her usual shinobi attire. She glanced down at him, her eyes then falling upon the large beetles. She shrieked, jumping back.

"Eww! That's so gross!" she screamed, shuddering visibly.

Seemingly unaffected by the girl's obvious disgust, Shino replied, "It's the common brown beetle. They come out of the ground in summer to exchange juices with many flowers. They mainly reside in petals; mainly those of buttercups. In fall, they head out to open fields so they can hibernate underground until the next summer."

Ino watched in amazement, her light blue orbs opened wide. "Shino… That's… Amazing," she said in awe, her face unmoving. Shino did not move, as he felt Ino's beautiful eyes on his own, as if they were penetrating his sunglass lenses.

He barely noticed as the girl stepped over the single-file line of beetles, sitting down on the bench beside him. She looked at him in anticipation, and begged him to tell her more. So he did.

It had slowly evolved from there. They occasionally met back in that same park, exchanging quiet and intelligent words. He told her about bugs, and she told him about flowers. Even in the winter, they sat there, on that same bench, speaking with tight lips and shivering voices. With Shino, Ino spoke with her heart, in contrast to the false, pompous voice she used around her friends. With Ino, Shino opened up, and did not worry about what she would think about his opinions. It was a strange, but real friendship.

It was only in the March of next year when Ino shyly walked up to Shino while he was training, and asked in a muted voice if he would like to go to lunch with her. He had accepted, and the two ate at a nice and nearly-empty diner. Shino enjoyed it, and he even found himself chuckling quite a bit. Even when Sakura, Temari, and Tenten passed, looking on in shock, Ino shooed them off and resumed talking to the bug-user.

Not too long after that, the two were an item, one that shocked, confused, and even angered some people. They went on countless dates, whether it was out to eat, for a walk in the park, or to one of the town plays. They held hands where ever they went, Shino looking away, almost embarrassed, while Ino grasped his hand and clung to him unabashedly.

Numerous dates had passed until Shino had the courage to walk the blonde home, pecking her on the lips before whisking himself away, a light blush on his cheeks.

It was a whole three months later, late in the evening, while Shino and Ino sat facing each other on the stools of a bar, the boy grinning stupidly, the girl laughing hysterically. Only thirty minutes later, she squirmed underneath him, her breaths quick and short, her cheeks flushed from a mixture of alcohol and sex.

"Sh-Shino…" she would moan his name wantonly, and his deep, throaty moans would sound in response, as he pumped in and out of her with rhythm. She would scream out as she hit her peak, and he would keep going until he felt the ball of fire in his stomach overpower his body, as he pulled out and released.

He would fall beside her, onto the light pink sheets of her bedroom, as her breathing slowed and she drifted off into a light slumber. Shino would lightly kiss her on the cheek, before pulling into Ino into his torso, as he fell into a deep sleep.

The rest of the summer proved to be wonderful, filled with laughs, walks on the beach, and more _loving_. It was when fall came around the corner that misery took hold, as the pair stood at the gates of Konoha.

"Don't worry, Shino, I'll be back in a week. We'll go out then, okay?" Ino would smile widely, leaning forward and standing on her tippy-toes, wrapping her arms around the boy's neck. She would kiss him passionately.

Once she pulled away, Shino would be found bearing a small grin. He would tell her that he made reservations at the fanciest restaurant in town for the night she came back. She would peck him on the mouth once more, before turning and running after both Asuma and Gai's teams. He would watch her until she was out of sight.

But a week later, at the restaurant Shino had made reservations at; he did not kneel before her, a box opened in his palm, just as he had anticipated. No, the diamond ring still sat in his coat pocket as he stood at the gates of Konoha, speaking with a damp-eyed Tenten.

"… And… And… And that's when Ino-chan jumped in front of me… The sword went right through her… So… So it was too late by the time the medical nin's showed up… I'm… So sorry, Shino." she would sob, as Rock Lee held her quivering shoulders.

Shino would slowly walk back home, taking the long way, through the Sakura tree park. He would pass by the bench where the two had met, as a single line of brown beetles seemingly marched in front. The weather outside resembled that of the day exactly a year before, but instead of an afternoon filled with joy, it was filled with utter sorrow.

The bug-user would arrive back at home, finding it empty. He would break down, his entire body shaking with violent sobs, as his cries echoed in the apartment. He decided that he could not survive without his one true love, as he trudged into the kitchen.

The many labeled bottles felt light in his shaking hand, as he emptied each onto his opposite palm. He downed the contents with one gulp of water. He waited in silence, until his breath caught in his throat, and his knees buckled. Falling to the ground, he gasped and choked for air, before he lay still and the apartment fell quiet.

And outside, as the wind blew the Sakura blossoms around, the sky cried for both losses, pouring down and washing away the lives of the many brown beetles.


End file.
